32w3d

It's hard to believe I'm here at 32 weeks already; only 8 more weeks to go! I just entered my eighth month, and the pregnancy symptoms abound: back pain, shortness of breath, heartburn, swelling. The fun never stops. :) And this emotional roller coaster I've been on for the past week? Somebody stop the ride, I want to get off! One minute I'm feeling pretty good, then the next I'm crying at the drop of a hat, I'm irritated, angry, hopeless, and frustrated. It's like PMS times 300.

I am quickly finding my limits, especially with regard to how long I can spend outside in the heat. On Friday afternoon around lunchtime, I started feeling really dizzy and lightheaded. Thankfully, I was already sitting down by that point and had had a bit of my lunch. I felt like if I were to get up though, I'd pass out. Then I started seeing spots and knew that wasn't good. So I called my doctor's office, and after nicely but firmly explaining to the receptionist that I needed to talk to somebody ASAP about what was going on with me, talked to the prenatal nurse on duty. She asked me what my symptoms were and what I had to eat that day, then suggested I come in as soon I could to get checked out.

Gregg came and picked me up from work, and we were at the doctor's in 15 minutes. The nurse checked my blood pressure, which was normal. She also checked my hands & feet for swelling. Nothing out of the ordinary. A doppler scan revealed that everything with the baby was just fine, also. His heartbeat was slightly higher than normal, near the 150s. She said there were some white blood cells found in my urine, which might be indicative of a urinary tract infection. So she had me give another sample to be sent to the lab for a urinalysis.

The final verdict? I'm not totally sure. I think it was the combination of sitting outside for an hour and leaving four between breakfast and lunch that got to me. Plus, I hadn't really slept that well the night before. So this was my body's (and baby's!) way of telling me to take it easy.

When I got home from the doctor's office, all I wanted to do was sleep. I'm not quite as tired as I was during my first trimester, but I'm definitely slowing down. It's hard to find a comfy position to sleep or sit in these days with my big ol' belly sticking out there. I feel like I need a crane to get me out of bed, or out of the car. I must be a sight to see, waddling around, carrying my 50 oz. pink jug of water (that I never leave home without).

In other news, the nursery is quickly filling up with odds and ends for Baby B! My sister and her fiance came up from Maryland last Sunday with a carload full of goodies. I couldn't believe how much stuff they brought. Valerie got us the car seat, mobile, and boppy pillow we registered for, plus a couple of fitted crib sheets and lots of adorable little outfits. The next day a package arrived from UPS with some more stuff off of our registry, from my mother's cousin. I go into the baby's room at least once a day to look at everything and smile every time.

It's been hitting me recently that, in just a short time, Gregg and I will no longer just be husband and wife. We'll be "mommy" and "daddy", too. We'll be responsible for a life. It won't ever just be the two of us again- well, I guess until our kids move out on their own in the next 20 some years. It's a bit scary and overwhelming to think about. While I am very much looking forward to our little boy's arrival, our lives will never be the same.

I spend a lot of time thinking about the impact this baby will have on us. I know that it will be challenging to be first-time parents, but wonderful. I just imagine seeing our features in his tiny face, knowing that we created him together. That will make all the late night feedings and sleep deprivation so worth it. :)

32 Weeks: